Goodwill Ambassador of 2016
Yo-Yo Ma
Friends was honored to welcome world-renown cellist, humanitarian and United Nations Messenger of Peace Yo-Yo Ma as our 2016 Goodwill Ambassador. A Chinese-American born in Paris, Ma was a child prodigy from the age of five and attended The Julliard School and Harvard University. His career as a soloist includes musical performances around the world and 18 Grammy Awards for his 90+ albums.
A great philanthropist with a long history of supporting notable causes, Yo-Yo Ma was introduced to Friends Without A Border in 2002 during the Silk Road Festival at the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington. An exhibit of photos by Friends Founder Kenro Izu was a part of the festival, which was organized by Ma. He became interested in Kenro’s fusion of art and humanitarian work and helped Friends celebrate its 20th anniversary as a Goodwill Ambassador for 2016.
Please enjoy a video message below from Yo-Yo Ma to learn more about his involvement and support of Friends Without A Border.
Young Ambassadors
Todd Joseph
Todd has spent the last 10 years developing a speciality in biomedical devices with clinical expertise in interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, and heart failure. Todd is driven by an interest in expanding access to healthcare in the developing world by more effectively allocating medical technology resources. He is also a founding member of the New York City chapter of Engineering World Health. Todd holds a BSE in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering from Duke University, and will be joining the Class of 2018 Harvard Business School this fall.
Todd is a member of the New York Friends Council, a young professionals group in the New York City-area dedicated to raising awareness of Friends Without A Border. As a committee member, Todd has dedicated his time, talent, and spirit to helping organize various social events, such as Winter’s Always Warmer with Friends. The events have helped to raise much-needed funds for children’s healthcare in Laos and Cambodia, and have helped garner support amongst the young professional community of New York City.
Diana Cheung
Diana is a medical student at the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and serves on the national board of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). She spent most of her college breaks volunteering abroad at pediatric clinics in Costa Rica and Viet Nam, and is very much looking forward to spending time at LFHC this summer. Diana graduated from Cornell University as an Iscol Scholar and completed her graduate work in systems biomedicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She hopes to become a pediatric gastroenterologist.
A great supporter of Friends, Diana often organizes community events and gatherings at her medical school to help raise awareness of Friends Without A Border and the healthcare situation in Laos. Most recently, Diana and the APAMSA planned an ice-skating event at Oyster Bay in Long Island with over 100 guests in attendance. The students raised enough money to purchase a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine for Lao Friends Hospital for Children. The machine can be absolutely lifesaving and helps children be able to breathe when suffering from asthama or other breathing or lung problems.
